The invention relates to a hair styling tool for performing weaves without leaving a bulky and unkempt look and without damaging hair.
Throughout history, men and women alike have modified and arranged their hair as a means of approving appearance, designating class and celebrating religion. Today, although the social, religious and political implications of styling hair has vastly changed, grooming the hair as a means of self expression and self improvement is still in practice. One particularly popular way many choose to style their hair is through a simple hair weave. Hair weaving is a trend that is growing among all groups of people with all textures of hair. A hair weave is a process through which natural or synthetic hair strands are bonded to a person's existing hair, typically at the root of the hair shaft, directly above the scalp. This process is especially popular among African American men and women, offering these consumers a simple way in which to sport long, straight or braided hairstyles without the hassle associated with growing out thick, textured hair or repeatedly visiting the salon for a perm.
While a beautifully rendered perm is almost undetectable, a poorly styled weave can look bulky or unkempt and can actually serve to damage the hair. The weight caused by glues or waxes used to apply a weave can actually weigh down the fragile hair shaft, pinching the hair. These pinch points create a small spot on the hair shaft that can become thin and vulnerable to a break. Further, as the hair grows out, attaching the weave to new hair continually damages the hair along the entire shaft. As many who have suffered a “bad” weave would attest, spending hundreds of dollars on a weave, only to have one's natural hair become irrevocably damaged can be an extremely frustrating experience. Because these methods of weaving the hair can be so damaging, many consumers prefer the traditional sewn-in weave, affixing the extensions to the hair by way of needle and thread. Typically far less expensive than the wax fusion method, and longer lasting than weaves applied with glue, a sewn-in weave is the favored method of countless consumers. As with other weaving methods however, sewn-in weaves can take many hours to complete and if not properly applied can result in knotty, unattractive lumps which can detract from the client's overall appearance. Further, as with bulky hair glue or wax, these heavy knots can cause the hair shaft to weaken, potentially breaking the hair.
The present invention attempts to solve the above referenced problems by providing a hair styling tool that will allow a person's hair to be woven in a manner that is comfortable to them without causing damage to the hair shafts.
Various hair treatment implements are well known in the art. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,230 to Wood discloses a hair styling tool comprised of a shaft with a U-shaped hook for creating a band of hair. U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,796 to Mochizui discloses a means for joining hair using a needle device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,255 to Northcutt discloses a horse hair banding device.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.